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Nanjeko Community

I while ago, I spent three days in the remote Nanjeko Community in Zambias Western Province. The community consists of four small villages and is situated 20 km from the town Senanga and the nearest road. We drove through sandy bush and wetlands to get there.

A friend has set up a foundation that will help to develop the community school. The villages are very poor, the people are mostly self-sufficient farmers and struggle to pay the school fee of USD 0.75 (!) per term. The foundation will focus on raising enough money to provide decent salaries for the teachers that is currently about USD 25 per year (!). I spent most of my time filming, I will make a video that will be used for communication purposes by the foundation (stay tuned). However, I managed to get some shots as well. I also spent one afternoon with photographing kids of the community, you can find all of those portraits here.

Here’s a group photo with the PTA (Parents Teachers Organisation). Monde Mukela, the founder of the foundation is farthest to the right. Her Father, Manyando Mukela, has spent his life working at museums in Africa and Europe but has now moved back to the village where he grew up. He is the chairman of the PTA and is in the back of the photograph wearing a white shirt. I’m in the front row to the left. My photographer friend Simon Binder is the tall guy in the back, you can find his work here.